basilisk

/ˈbæzɪlɪsk/

//ˈbæzɪlɪsk// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"basilisk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“basilisk” is uncommon English (frequency #57,885 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,885
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mythical snake-like dragon, so venomous that even its gaze is deadly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-basilisk · basilisk · English

basilisk · rank #57,885 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,885
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Barbarossa

Nearest frequency peer: Barbarossa (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “basilisk”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “basilisk” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for basilisk
PropertyValue
Headwordbasilisk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæzɪlɪsk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#57,885
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “basilisk” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).basiliskfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Barbarossa” (#57,884), “barangay” (#57,883), “banality” (#57,882). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “basilisk” is #57,885. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

basilisk is uncommon English at frequency #57,885 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbæzɪlɪsk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

basilisk doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos, literally “minor king or chieftain”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”), possibly based on descriptions or rare encounters wi… The correct English form is basilisk, spelled B-A-S-I-L-I-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mythical snake-like dragon, so venomous that even its gaze is deadly.
  2. 2
    A type of dragon used in heraldry.
  3. 3
    Any tree-dwelling lizard of the genus Basiliscus: the basilisk lizard.
  4. 4
    A type of large brass cannon.
  5. 5
    An infohazard or cognitohazard, especially a Langford's basilisk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how basilisk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. the deadly look of the basilisk
  2. The queſtion is in vvhat part of this Serpent the poyſon doth lye; Some ſay in the head alone, and that therefore the Bazeliske is deafe, bycauſe the Ayre vvhich ſerueth the Organe of hearing, is reſolued by the intenſiue calidity: but this ſeemeth not to bee true, […]

Etymology

From Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos, literally “minor king or chieftain”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”), possibly based on descriptions or rare encounters with different types of cobra which have crown-like patterns on their head; the 'deadly gaze' may have been from the spitting cobra's ability to spit venom into the eyes of predators or prey from a distance. The infohazard sense is a figurative reference to the deadly gaze of the mythical creature.

This word in other languages

basilisco(Español)basilic(Français)Basilisk(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "basilisk"?
"basilisk" is spelled B-A-S-I-L-I-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæzɪlɪsk/.
What does "basilisk" mean?
As a noun, "basilisk" means: A mythical snake-like dragon, so venomous that even its gaze is deadly.
How do you pronounce "basilisk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "basilisk" is /ˈbæzɪlɪsk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "basilisk"?
From Middle English basilicke, borrowed from Old French basilique, from Latin basiliscus, from Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basilískos, literally “minor king or chieftain”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”), possibly based on descriptions or rare enc... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "basilisk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

barangay#57,883banality#57,882Ardennes#57,866arbitral#57,864

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list